Bobbin bushing



June 23, 1931. E. c. BUFFlNGToN BOBBIN BUSHING Filed July 27. 1927 7 .wj 5 wm... MMVIIalll. aw 1 j L'LL 'auff accomplish the desired result butsincethe bushing is subjected to the swelling 'and Patented June 23,1931 Unirse stars PATENT orrflcrf.Y

EDWIN C. BUFFINGTON, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE.AS-

SIGNMENTS, TO U S` BOBBIN & SHUTTLE COllPANY,

1929, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND', A. CORPORATION' 0F RHODE ISLANDBonnin BUSHING Application nea .my 27,1927. serial No. 208,745.

This invention pertains to bobbins ot the kind employed in textilemanufacture (for example spinning bobbins) and relates more particularlyto an improved bushin g for such a bobbin. Bobbins of this type areusually made ot wood or other non-metallic material and depend upontrictional contact with at least one end of the spinning spindle todrive them. rlChe bobbin has an axial bore for the reception of aspindle, and at the central.

So long as the proper relation between the diameter of the spindle andthe bobbin bore is maintained, the bobbin rotates with the spindle andoders little resistance to doffing, but since the bobbin is made of wood(which is a hygroscopic material and swells and shrinks slightly inresponse to atmospheric nonditions) the bore in the bobbin is not of`constant diameterand at times decreases so that the bobbin binds on thespindle and cannot be easily removed or doffed and will not set at theproper height on the spindle.

To avoid this difliculty attempts have been made to provide the bobbinwith a metallic tubular bushing at its contact pointV or points with thespindle, such bushing, or bushings being of constant internal andexternal diameter. Theoretically such a bushing should shrinking of thebobbin, as above described, it is 'found that after a short period ofuse, erdinary tubular bushings become so loose that they remain upon thespindle when the bobbin is doded or drop the bobbin after the latter hasbeen removed from the spindle.

In accordance with my present invention I provide a bushing which mayreadily be placed at the proper position in the, bobbin bore and `whichis not loosened by the shrinking or swelling of the bobbin; which issecurely anchored so that it does not turn from the bore V,in

relatively to the bobbin nor pull out when the bobbin is doffed; whichprovides a'bearing of proper diameter for engagement with the spindle;which is cheap andeasy to construct; and which requires no substantialchange in the bobbin to adapt the latter for use with the improvedbushing.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated apreferred embodiment ofmy invention together with various modifica` tions thereof, but with theunderstanding that those embodiments of the invention `shown are merelyby way of example and are vnot to be considered as restrictive 10i theinvention.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of a spinningbobbin provided with my improved bushing;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary lvertical section showing the upper part of thebobbin ot Fig. Vl, but in a plane at right angles to the plane of thesection of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a'section to larger scale, sub- Y Fig. 6 is a side elevationshowing the opposite side of the bushing from that shown in Fig. 5;

Fig 7 is a longitudinal section substantially on the line 7-'7 of Fig.6;

Figs. 8, 9, l0, 11, l2 and 13 are side ele- .vatlons illustratingmodified forms of my improved bushing;`

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary vertical section, to large scale, showing abobbin having a bushing of the type illustrated in Fig. 13 mountedtherein;

Fig. l5 is a side elevation of a further modified form oit bushing;

Fig.fl6 is a vertical section illustrating a still further modified formof bushing; and

Fig. 17 is a sectional elevation of a bobbin having a bushing of thetype disclosed in Fig. 16 in place therein.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the numeral 1 indicates a bobbin of usual type suchas is employed in textile spinning, such bobbin having the bore 2extending from the lower end to the upper end of the bobbin. At thepoint 3 this bore is abruptly reduced in diameter and at the point l thebore is again slightly reduced, that portion of the bore lying betweenthe points el and 3 being intended to receive my improved bushing 5.

Thilo I may make my bushing from a piece of tubing, I prefer to roll itfrom sheet material, and in Fig. t I show a blank 5' of sheet material,for example hard sheet brass, such blank having the recess 6 in itsleft-hand edge and the projection or tongue 7 projecting from itsright-handv edge, the tongue 7 being adapted to llt within the recess Gwhen the blank is rolled into tubular or cylindrical form. The blank 5is also preferably providedwith a V-shaped incision dening thesubstantially triangular spur 8. Either before or after the blank isrolled into tubular form, the aneX of this spur is deflected out of theplane of the blank.

In rolling the blank 5, its opposite edges are preferably broughtsubstantially into contact but when the rollingoperation is completedthenatural resiliency of the metal tends to spring the edges apart to aslight extent so as to form the stepped gap or split 9 extendinglongitudinally of the bushing as shown in Fig. G. The dimensions of theblank 5f are such that when the blank has been rolled into tubular formand'when the edges of the blank have beenbrought. into contact so assubstantially to close the gap 9, the bushing may be pushed endwisealong the bore of the bobbin until it enters the reduced portion of thebore abovcithe point 3. To facilitate introducing the bushing into thebobbin bore, I may, if desired, when rolling the blank, give it aslightly conical form so that its upper end, that is to say the endwhich is in advance in thrusting it into the bobbin. bore, is ofslightly smaller diameter than the opposite end. However, when thisprocedure is followed the opposite end of the bushing is made abnormallylarge and after the bushing has been seated within the cylindrical boreit straightens out or becomes substantially cylindrical so that itprovides the desired cylindrical bearing for the spindle. i

As the split bushing thus provided is quite resilient and pressesoutwardly against the walls of the bobbin bore it tends Vto retain itsposition within the bobbin bore and is not readily displaced. If thebobbin shrinks, the resiliency of the bushing is such that it stillretains itsclose Contact with the walls of the bobbin. On the otherhand, if

the bobbin swells, the bushing is compressed until the gap 9 iscompletely closed, but as the bushing now forms a continuous cylinder ortube it resists further compressive stress imposed by the swellingbobbin and maintains its normal minimum internal diameter. Thus eventhough the bobbin swell to a considerable extent the free running fit ofthe bobbin with respect to the spindle is not interfered with.

While the bushing, by reason of its resiliency, tends to maintain itsposition within the bobbin I prefer to furnish additional means forholding it in position and to this end I provide the tongue or spur 8above described. rihis spur normally diverges outwardly and downwardlyfrom the upper or advancing end of the bushing and when the bushing isforced into the bobbin this spur is pressed inwardly to some extent,permitting the bushing to slide quite freely into the bore. However,this spur with its sharp point 1() presses into the wood of the bobbinand positively resists any force tending to move the bushing in theopposite direction. Thus, when the bobbin is doed, the bushing remainsin position even though there should be some slight sticking of thebushing to the spindle.

Obviously,- if additional positive retaining means be required, I mayprovide more than one of the spurs 8 or if desired I may as indicated inFig. 7 deflect the lower edge of the tongue 7 slightly seas to providethe shoulder 11. This outwardly projecting shoulder 11, like thedivergent end 1() ofthe tongue 7, tends to diginto the wood of thebobbin and prevent accidental removal of. the bushing or rotation of thebushing relatively to the bobbin after it has once been seated inposition.

While I prefer to provide the tongue 7 entering the recess 6, since thisconstruction substantially prevents any twisting of the bushing as thelatter is being forced into its seat in the bobbin, I may provide otherarrangements giving substantially thesame result or I may dispense withthis feature of the bushing altogether. Thus as shown in Fig. 8 thebushing 12 is provided with a gap 13 and with a recess 14 which extendsinwardly from one end, andthe projection 15v at the corresponding end ofthe bushing is adapted to engage this recess. If desired the edge 16 ofthe projection 15 may be deflected outwardly to provide a retainingshoulder in the same way as the lower edge 11 of the tongue 7 abovedescribed.

In Fig. 9 `I have shown a bushing 17 having the gap or split 18and thesubstantially circular recess 19 having the tongue or tab 2Ointerlocking with the recess. While this arrangement gives a positivelock and in this respect is superior to the arrangement shown in Figs. Gand 8, itlimits the expansion of the bushing to a certain extent so thatunder extreme conditions of moisture variation this construction may notbe as desirable as that of Figs. 6 and8.

In Fig. 10 the bushing 21 is shown as provided with a gap or slit 22extending in a curved or helical direction. While this arrangementprovides the desired expansibility it does not preventl twist of thebushing as it is being introduced intothe bobbin.

In Fig. 11 I show a bushing 23 having a substantially straightuninterrupted longitudinal gap 24 which permits free cX- pansion of thebushing. This bushing is also furnished with a flared lower edge portion25 which is adapted, after the bushing has been seated within thebobbin, to dig into the wood of the bobbin and thus positively toprevent removal of the bushing.

In Fig. 12 I have indicated a bushing v26 provided with a series ofslits at its lower end forming tongues 27 which may, as indicated indotted lines, be deflected outwardly to provide positive holding meansfor retaining the bushing in position.

In Fig. 13 I have shown a bushing 28 similar to that shown in Fig. 12,but having Y the tongues or tabs 29 of triangular form at its lower end.These tongues Vor tabs 29 may be deflected outwardly and by theirresilient engagement with the inner surface of the bobbin bore willconstitute positive holding means for retaining the bushing in position.

Instead of using the bushings 26 or 28, as above described, I may, asshown in Fig.

14, provide the bobbin 30, having the bore 31, with an internal annularrecess 32 and before deflecting the tongues or tabs 27 or 29 of thebushing, I push the bushing with its tongued end in advance along thebobbin bore until the tongues or tabs are substantially opposite to therecess 32. I4 provide a shoulder 33 just above the recess 32, and `vhenthe tongues or tabs engage this shoulder they will be deflectedoutwardly into the recess 32, such action being assisted, if necessary,by the insertion of a suitable tool into the bore of the bobbin. lVhenthe tongues or tabs are thus turned outwardly into the recess 32 theyconstitute positive retaining means for holding the bushing in position.

In Fig. 15 I have shown a bushing 34 having two series of outwardlyprojecting tongues or teeth 35 and 36. By providing a. plurality of suchteeth or tabs the bushing may be held very firmly in position and when Iemploy bushings such as shown in Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15, I. may, ifdesired dispense with the longitudinal slit or gap since the outwardlyflaringresilient retaining elements grip the bobbm so firmly andpositively that they retain the bushing in bushing having ay cylindricalbore, I may,

when the bobbin is to be used witha conical spindle, employ a bushingsuch as shown in Figs. 16 and 17. This bushing37 is pref# erably madefrom a pieceof sheet material or blank having one edge thicker than theother and when such a piece of sheet ma- -1 Vterial or blank is rolledto make its outer surface cylindrical, its innervsurface 39 assumes aconical form. By proper selection of material I may provide an internalconical bore of the desired taper for engagement with any given spindlewhile at the sameV time the outer cylindrical surface of the bushing isof -proper shape and diameter to fit the cylindrical bore of the bobbin.This bushing 37 may be provided with outwardly directed tongues or spurs40 and 41 for engagement with the bobbin, if desired, and as shown inFig. 16 this bushing is split andfurnished with a tongueV and recess inthe same way as the bushings of Figs. 6 and 7.

While I have shown certain desirable forms of bushing I do not intendthus to limit myself but reserve the right to make such changes in size,relative proportions of ,parts and arrangements of elements as may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims, and while I have hereinchosento illustrate my improved bushing as applied to the upper part of thebobbin whereit engages the spindle tip, I contemplate that the improvedbushing is of substantially equal utility for application to the lowerand of a bobbin where it engages the lower part of the spindle, as theconditions and requirements are practically the same.

I claim:

1. A bobbin bushing comprising a longi- `:udinally split tubular bodyadapted to fit within the bore ot', a bobbin, said bushing having anelement which is yieldable to a position substantially within the bodyof the bushing to permit the bushing to move axially in one directionalong the bobbin bore but which tends to bite into the wall of the boreto oppose movement of the bushing in the opposite direction.

2. A bobbin bushing comprising a longitudinally split resilient tubularbody adapted to fit within the bore of a bobbin, said bushing having anoutwardly directed tongue which is yieldable to a position substantiallywithin the body of the bushing to permit the bushing to move axially inone direction `along the bobbin bore but which E bobbin, the body havinga longitudinal gap,` there being a recess at one edge of the gap and atongue projecting from the other edge of the gap into said recess, onecircumfer- 5 entially extending edge of the tongue juttingout from theouter surface of the body to oppose longitudinal movement of the bushingrelatively to the bobbin.

4. A bobbin bushing comprising a sub- 1G stantially cylindrical bodyadapted to fit Within the upper part of the bore of a bobbin, said bodyhaving a tapering axial bore, the body being of resilient material andhaving a longitudinal gap therein, there being 15 a recess at one edgeof the gap and a tongue projecting from the other edge of the gap intothe recess, said body having an element normally projecting from itsouter cylindrical surface and adapted to engage 2e the Wall of thebobbin bore to prevent axial movement of the bushing in one direction atleast.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 26th day of July, 1927. 5:5EDWIN C. BUFFINGTON.

